Beads
by Ivoryrain
Summary: To defeat Naraku, Sesshomaru and Koga decide to join forces with the Inuyasha Crew. What if they decide to stick around? Can you say conflict? Kagome needs to control the main problems aka Sesshomaru and Koga,so Kaede helps her like she did with Inuyasha.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I got another idea, and I hope it will turn out to be a good one. If I can execute the plot properly, hopefully it won't suck at least. You'll have to let me know what you think. BTW, they're OOC. How much, I can't really judge, you can tell me, but I try to make them a real as possible.**

To defeat Naraku, Inuyasha and his friends realized that they needed allies to win and come out of it alive. That had not made it easier for Inuyasha to accept. Their new allies had consisted of Sesshomaru, Jaken, Rin, Ah and Un, as well as Koga, Ginta, and Hokkaku. So there had been grudges held about being forced to team up.

To recruit Sesshomaru, they decided they needed a person who was patient and had a way with words. The only person who was deemed to have a possibility of surviving a negotiation with the taiyoukai was Miroku. Sango had bitterly said that it was because he was good at deceiving people.

Miroku took Shippo along as his "secret weapon". This had confused them until Shippo told them what made Sesshomaru decide to join them. Shippo had informed him that it was very amusing to travel with his half-brother because of all the stupid things he did and all the mistakes he made. He even threw in a few stories just to give Sesshomaru a sample. Sesshomaru was intrigued, and decided that another added bonus would be better protection for Rin. So in the end, he agreed.

To recruit Koga, the obvious choice was Kagome. There were concerns that he would not allow her to come back from the negotiations, so Sango accompanied her with Kilala. With some poking and prodding and a few good points from Kagome, he agreed. Their suspicions proved right when Koga tried to bring Kagome with him before they met up with the rest of the group. Sango had to use a smokescreen ball she had been working on to make a hasty escape.

After Naraku had been defeated, his incarnations had been set free. Kagura went to roam "free like the wind" as she put it. Kanna just sort of wandered off, as if in a trance. Kagome was worried that she would be lost without Naraku, and that they should help her which was strongly protested by all the demons. All Naraku's other incarnations and minions had been killed in the fight. Including Kohaku. It had taken a while for Sango to deal with her little brother's death, and Kagome had been with her through the whole thing. As for the new extended group, they decided to stay together for reasons that were shared or left unshared. Koga was all too quick to say why he was staying, but Sesshomaru was mysterious and cryptic.

Kagome suspected that Sesshomaru had become attached to them. She could see the gleam of laughter in his eyes when Sango beat Miroku or a spark of annoyance when Inuyasha and Koga fought over her. And she would occasionally see him staring at her in a way she didn't recognize. It made her confused and fuzzy inside. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

Kagome decided to spend most of her life in the past. She had friends and some family that she had acquired and she didn't think she could live without them anymore.

"Bastard! Kagome's mine!" Koga shouted, his face right in Inuyasha's. Sesshomaru looked like he wanted to strangle both the wolf demon and his half-brother.

Well, sometimes. Other times, Kagome felt as if she could do without all the fights and arguing. She was trying to think of a way to solve her problems when she saw Kaede. Since they expanded, Kagome had brought some tents so they could sleep outside and not impose on Kaede's hospitality.

Speaking of Kaede, the village priestess had made it to their camp site. Kagome turned to greet her but Kaede silenced her with a meaningful look. Looking over her shoulder, Kagome saw that no one had noticed the elderly priestess. Kagome frowned thoughtfully and walked over when Kaede gestured.

"Child, do ye want to stop the fighting of ye friends?" Kaede asked her.

Kagome looked back to her friends and saw that the arguing had escalated into fighting. She was glad they decided to stay outside of the village. They would be destroying all the villager's huts if they were in the village. Inuyasha had Tetsusaiga out and was slashing away at Sesshomaru who was dodging easily and Koga was interjecting their fight with his punches and kicks. Everyone else had stopped what they were doing to watch.

"I think I had better before they take the fight into the village." Kagome told her with a weary sigh.

"Aye. Then hold one of these and do as I do." Kaede instructed, handing her a rosary that looked like Inuyasha's with the exception of the beads being brown instead of black. Kaede held one that had silver beads and had started chanting. Kagome followed her lead.

The beads on Kaede's necklace flew off of it and reformed around Sesshomaru's neck.

Kagome thought quickly. 'We need a word to make Sesshomaru back off and stop fighting. Maybe get him away from the situation that's bothering him. And another word to make Koga stop doing everything since he would most likely run around and taunt Inuyasha and Sesshomaru if had the chance to do so without repercussions.'

Thinking again of dog commands when she saw Sesshomaru, Kagome shouted, "Come boy!"

Sesshomaru found himself automatically running over to Kagome. He looked positively pissed. Meanwhile, Koga and Inuyasha were going head to head. Kagome started chanting again and this time the brown beads went around Koga's neck. Deciding to stick with the dog commands, Kagome called, "Stay!"

Koga froze. Inuyasha let out a laugh of triumph before Kagome told him, "Sit boy!" Inuyasha slammed face first into the ground.

Kagome let out a sigh of relief. Until she remembered who was standing next to her. "Wench! What is the meaning of this!" Sesshomaru demanded.

Kagome gulped. Sesshomaru was usually polite enough to call her 'human' or 'woman'. If he was calling her wench then he must be very mad. Kaede decided that now was a good time for an old priestess who didn't want to die to leave. Sesshomaru tried to stop her but Kagome said, "Come."

Sesshomaru growled and his eyes started to take on a reddish hue as he ran back to her. Before he could totally freak out, Kagome tried to explain. "It's a precautionary measure. A safety thing, you know?"

Sesshomaru's eyes turned their normal gold, but he still looked unusually mad, suspicious, distrusting, and hurt. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want you guys to fight." Kagome explained further.

Sesshomaru just turned his face away from her and walked away into the trees. Kagome felt extremely guilty. He really seemed to be taking this personally.

As for Koga… "Kagome, why did you put a leash on me like the mutt!" He had worked hard to shake off the rosary's effects and was at her side in an instant.

"Koga, it's not a leash. It's a rosary necklace. And I did it so you three won't always be at each other's throats." Kagome told him.

"I have to make sure they don't keep threatening my claim on you. Those bastards haven't said anything about you being theirs, yet they have the gall to act as if they had!" Koga told her angrily.

"Really?" Kagome was surprised. She could understand how he saw Inuyasha as a threat, but Sesshomaru?

"Yeah. The mutt is as annoying as always, but his brother recently started contesting my claim on you too! He says that 'Kagome would never belong to you.' and 'Only a taiyoukai is worthy of her.' Can you believe it?" Koga asked in an exasperated voice. He was obviously expecting her to sympathize with him.

"Oh." Kagome said in a small and slightly dazed voice. "Koga, I think I'm going to go to bed now. I'm not feeling right."

Inuyasha had immediately rushed over when he heard that. "Really Kagome? It's probably the wolf stink that's making you sick. We should get you away from this fleabag right away." he said in a offensive tone to Koga and a concerned one to Kagome. He started to pull her away but stopped as she said something.

"I think you two should take long walks in opposite directions." Kagome told them in an authoritative tone. When Inuyasha started off in the direction that Sesshomaru had left in she added, "And don't go wherever Sesshomaru went either!" They could tell she meant business. They looked like little children getting a time out as they folded their arms stubbornly and walked away from Kagome.

Kagome sighed once they were out of earshot. Behind her she heard applause. She turned to see Miroku, Sango, and Shippo clapping for her.

"Way to go Kagome!" Miroku congratulated her.

"Maybe things will finally start to settle down since they're in your control now." Sango said in a weary but hopeful voice.

"Kagome, what just happened?" Rin asked with confusion in her eyes. Rin had really taken to Kagome and Shippo, and they were now like a family with her as their mother. Rin said that Sesshomaru was her father now, but that made Kagome get a weird look on her face, so she didn't say it often.

"I'll tell you what's happened, a human just tried to control Lord Sesshomaru! Wench!" Jaken spat at her.

"Don't talk to our pack sister that way!" Ginta and Hokkaku shouted at the same time. They growled at the little toad demon menacingly.

Jaken got so scared he almost dropped the Staff of Two Heads. He hurried away from them all, leaving Rin in the care of her newfound mother.

"Rin, Shippo, I think it's bedtime. Sango and I also need to talk about some…things." Kagome said uncertainly.

"Kay!" Shippo and Rin responded. They raced each other to the girls' tent. Kagome and Sango had their own tent that was considerably smaller than the boys' tent. The boy's tent was a three dome one. Inuyasha and Miroku were in the left dome (if you were facing the tent), Koga and his pack got the biggest middle dome, and Sesshomaru grudgingly shared the right dome with Jaken.

'Why do things always just get more and more complicated?' Kagome thought to herself as she and Sango followed the children to the tent.

**First chapter is done. Tell me what you thought about it. Bad descriptions, flimsy excuses for getting them together as a group ( I know they aren't great.), or who you think Kagome will end up with? Let me know. I don't even know where this will go or how it will end, so it's up for debate. (Not heated debate please, flames hurt.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter. The first chapter turned out better than expected. Maybe this will be good too.**

**Wrote that back before I thought the second chapter would ever exist. Prepare for some plot action! I have a burst of inspiration, and I'm not sure how long it will last. I really like this chapter, although I cried while I wrote it.**

(-)

"So you're saying that Sesshomaru indicated that he likes you?" Sango asked in a measured voice. Shippo and Rin were sleeping.

"From what Koga told me, yes. What I don't understand is what he could see in me. After all, I thought he despised humans." Kagome said.

"Gee, let's think hard now." Sango said sarcastically. "What could he possibly see in a powerful, kind, and loving priestess who loves and cares for the girl who is essentially his daughter and also happens to be very attractive? I don't know Kagome, do you?"

"Alright, I get it. I do have my share of good qualities. But it just doesn't make sense, because I remember how he was when I first met him. Now he seems…almost human himself." Kagome pondered.

"I think it happened because of Rin. Perhaps loving humans really does run in Inuyasha's family." Sango suggested.

"Whoa, whoa, back up. Who said he loved me? For all we know, this is just some blind lust." Kagome said.

"I don't think so Kagome. I've seen the way he looks at you. There's more than lust there." Sango said.

"So you've seen this before now. It isn't a surprise?" Kagome wondered.

"It was a little shocking to have my suspicions confirmed, but the idea was always there. Just the way he's acted around you since he joined us is…I don't know. He's always very careful around you. He tries very hard to keep his demon self in check when you're around." Sango said.

"How can you see all of this?" Kagome asked.

"It's my job to see the mannerisms of demons." Sango told her.

"I think I need to sleep on this." Kagome said, again in a dazed tone.

"Okay. We can talk more tomorrow, if you want. Goodnight." Sango said, and they both went to sleep.

Kagome awoke in the night to see bright lights outside the tent. She slipped on her shoes and unzipped the tent so she could look through the crack. The lights were obviously souls, and the soul catchers were hovering around. Inuyasha emerged from the boys' tent, as if on a summons. He obediently followed the soul catchers as they led him into the forest.

When Inuyasha was far enough away, Kagome unzipped the tent and slipped out into the night. She followed him at a distance, perversely determined to see what he and Kikyo did. Inevitably, the soul catchers led him to the God-tree that Inuyasha had once been pinned to. Kikyo rested on the roots.

"Kikyo." Inuyasha said in a soft reverent voice.

"Inuyasha. I knew you would come. I've been watching you, you know. Why do you insist on playing at this game of being with that human girl? Why would you fight over her when I am here?" Kikyo asked.

Inuyasha started to excuse his actions immediately. "I can't just let either of those two take Kagome. She's my friend, and she deserves better."

"Are you saying that she deserves you?" Kikyo asked, her eyes narrowing.

"I didn't say that." Inuyasha protested.

"Because she doesn't. No one but I deserve you. I died rather than live without you. I have earned the right to have you at my side. That girl has made no such sacrifice to prove herself. And you've seen how the other two vie to make her theirs. Chances are, she will pick one of them." Kikyo insisted.

"She wouldn't." Inuyasha asserted, his voice filled with anger and betrayal.

"What else would you expect? You offer only yourself, while the wolf offers his domains and the loyalty and protection of an entire pack, and while your brother offers supreme demonic strength and protection along with the entire western lands. The scales do not tip in your favor." Kikyo told him.

Inuyasha's ears drooped as he realized the truth in her words. "But without Kagome…" he protested.

"Without Kagome you have me. And with me, we will be together for eternity." Kikyo said, her voice soft and inviting.

"But where am I without her? Who am I without her? I couldn't be the man I am today without her." Inuyasha insisted.

"Had I lived, that would have been me who eased your wounds. I would have healed your heart and shielded you from the cruelty of the world. The girl was a mere substitute." Kikyo told him.

Inuyasha laughed the kind of sad laugh that you laugh before you cry. "But Kagome isn't a substitute for anyone. She's Kagome. Ka-go-me."

Kikyo looked cross as he relived his first meeting with Kagome. When she spoke again, her voice was harsh. "She won't choose you. Even if you choose her, she won't choose you. Not when there are more attractive options. Her heart is not as fixed and unchanging as mine is. My heart is and always will be set on you. Perhaps she does want you now. But she won't want you forever. Humans can easily tire of what they think they want."

"It's true." Inuyasha said aloud as tears started to pour down his cheeks.

Kikyo now got up and rested his head on her shoulder. "Shh. Don't cry for her when you still have me. You will always have me."

"And I will always love you." Inuyasha told her.

Kagome silently slipped away as tears finally overcame her. Inuyasha had obviously made his final choice, aided by Kikyo's deceptive words. Kagome's heart had screamed at her to stop Kikyo from saying all those lies, but her body had been paralyzed.

"It would have been you Inuyasha. It was always you. I love you." Kagome cried quietly as she slipped further away from him.

Kagome sat by a stream and cried rather hysterically for an hour or so. After a while, she managed to calm herself enough that there were only the intermittent sobs and the constant sniffling.

"Come on Kagome. Pull yourself together." she said in a hopeless voice.

"I should say so." a voice right behind her said. She turned to see Sesshomaru, looking rather crossly at her.

"When did you get here?" Kagome asked quietly.

"I was never far from you. But it was your command that summoned me so close." Sesshomaru said, his voice laced with displeasure.

"Oh, I said-? Sorry. I didn't mean to." Kagome said, her throat still choked with tears.

Sesshomaru seemed to consider for a moment. "You know how determined I was to drag you out into the woods, give you a piece of my mind, and then kill you?"

"What?!" Kagome asked, alarmed.

"Yes. I'm not used to being controlled, _human_. I don't like that you have power over me. The fact that you presume to do so should have earned you a justified death." Sesshomaru told her.

"Why don't you kill me then? I'm not sure that I would mind all that much." Kagome said depressedly.

Sesshomaru growled and picked her up and slammed her against a nearby tree. "Don't say things like that!" he commanded her in a dangerous voice. His eyes were turning red and he was presenting a very real danger. "You're too good to cry over my worthless half-brother, and you're too good to die an untimely death."

Kagome was trembling, afraid of his anger and his possible wrath. He was leaning all his weight on her and breathing was becoming difficult. "Sesshomaru, I can't-" Kagome was cut off by her lack of air.

Sesshomaru eased up to the point where she could breath freely, but he did not stop pressing against her. He started sniffing around her collarbone, and she squealed when she felt him lick her neck. Sesshomaru chuckled at her reaction.

"I'm glad you aren't crying." he told her, and he leaned in and kissed her. His kiss was full of longing and need. Then he pulled away, smiled a small smile at her, sighed, and left.

Kagome touched her neck where he had licked it. It was burning hot. She momentarily was worried as she remembered his poisonous drool during the fight for the Tetsusaiga. But she rationalized that he wouldn't have done anything that might poison her, not to show his affection at least.

"Nothing like that good old-fashioned affectionate molestation to shock you out of depression." Kagome said to herself.

(-)

**What do you think? I believe I'm leaning towards a SessxKag pairing, since I do love it so. Inuyasha is obviously out of the race at least, after this chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, a third chapter to a story I didn't think I would continue. It's a bit mind-blowing that this story might go somewhere. I seriously thought of that as a bit of a one shot with a chance of continuation.**

**Warning! Profanity, and possible OOCness. I'm not sure Shippo would cuss like that.**

(-)

When Kagome returned to camp, it was morning, and her friends were in a panic. Including Inuyasha. "Kagome!" Shippo shouted as he spotted her.

"I'm back. Sorry." Kagome called to them. She saw Inuyasha look uneasy as she emerged from the forest.

When she reached her friends, she looked directly at Inuyasha and said, "I followed you. I saw."

Inuyasha blushed and looked down. "I had a feeling you must have, once I came back and you were gone."

"She was lying. Not that it matters now, but she was lying to you." Kagome said. "I'm so tired of all this mistrust. I'm just going to bed."

Kagome went into the tent even as the tears started falling again. Shippo came in before she could zip the flap completely, but she didn't mind. When she finally broke down completely on her sleeping bag, Shippo rubbed her back comfortingly.

Outside the tent however, things were less than tranquil. "What have you done now Inuyasha? She was more than hurt. She sounded like she'd given up on you." Miroku said.

"I went to see Kikyo. She told me that with all the competition for her, Kagome wouldn't choose me. She said that even if Kagome loved me now, she wouldn't always. Kikyo convinced me that she would love me forever, since she is dead and unchanging." Inuyasha said.

Sango made an angry frustrated noise. "You're so stupid! How could you be so dumb as to believe her?! Kagome loves you. Or at least she did, before this incident. I'm not sure now."

"I'm sure Kagome still loves him, she's just given up hope that he will ever belong to her, and _that's_ what's breaking her heart." Miroku said wisely.

Koga had heard enough. He punched Inuyasha in the face. "Where do you get off, betraying her like that?!" Koga demanded.

"Oh yeah, like _you_ don't have a girl waiting for _you_!" Inuyasha shouted back.

"That's different. I don't actually want Ayame." Koga insisted.

"And another thing. Why was Sesshomaru's scent all over her?!" Inuyasha demanded angrily.

"You can't be jealous Inuyasha. You've given up your claim on her." Sango said bitterly.

"What I want to know is what the stupid bastard did to her! If he hurt her I'll-" Inuyasha started to threaten.

"Your jealousy is exceeded only by your stupidity." Sesshomaru said from the edge of the forest.

"What were you doing in there with Kagome you bastard?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Comforting her. She's wounded, you know." Sesshomaru said, approaching them.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin said, running up to him and hugging his leg. "I missed you my Lord!"

"And how exactly did you comfort her?" Sango asked suspiciously.

"A gentleman does not share details." Sesshomaru said.

This statement cemented Inuyasha's decision, as Sesshomaru intended. Sesshomaru walked away, further formulating his plans. Sesshomaru was determined to make Kagome his own. He knew that his only real competition, Inuyasha, was out of the race due to his own stupidity. The wolf wasn't a threat, since Kagome showed no real interest in him. She obviously liked to believe that they were "just friends". And so, barring competition from her own time, Sesshomaru was prepared for everything. It was only a matter of time before she would return his love. She had to.

(-)

"Kagome, are you and Inuyasha fighting?" Shippo asked her.

"There's no fight to fight. He's given up on me." Kagome sobbed hopelessly.

Shippo looked disturbed. He muttered something that sounded distinctly like, "Stupid bastard."

Kagome decided that Inuyasha was a very bad influence on Shippo. Shippo marched out of the tent and Kagome heard him yelling at Inuyasha. She couldn't make out the words above her own sobbing, but Shippo sounded beyond mad.

(-)

"You selfish rotten bastard!" Shippo shouted, launching himself on Inuyasha and biting down on one of his ears.

"OW!" Inuyasha shouted, tears in his eyes.

Shippo let up and demanded, "Do you know that she's sobbing because of you right now? Have you heard how hysterically she's crying?!"

"I couldn't very well block it out, now could I?" Inuyasha spat back angrily.

"She's crying because you've made the worst mistake in your entire existence!" Shippo told him. "You've reached a new low, giving up someone as perfect as that for some dead clay pot."

Now Inuyasha was mad. "Don't you dare insult Kikyo!"

"I'll say whatever I want about some wench who fills your dumb-ass head with lies!" Shippo shouted. Then he started to cry. "You hurt Kagome. What the hell are we supposed to do if she never recovers from this?!" Shippo demanded.

"I daresay it won't be long before she's over me." Inuyasha scoffed, sounding impressively offhand when he still looked like he might cry.

"We can only hope. You pull this stuff all the time. It's gotten to the point where you're not good for her anymore! All you do is kill her slowly and painfully." Miroku interjected, also sounding angry. They all heard Kagome's sobs lessen and eventually they stopped.

"So you want me to leave?" Inuyasha asked, his voice breaking.

"It might be wise." Miroku said.

"Fine. I'll leave, and I'll never come back." Inuyasha said, his voice full of bitter betrayal.

"Inuyasha." Sango said quietly. She looked up at him, and she was crying too. Everyone was a damn fountain today! "Come back eventually Inuyasha. Just give her time to heal…if she can."

"I agree with Sango. Don't leave forever." Miroku said.

"I can't come back and see her with that flea-bitten wolf or my brother." Inuyasha said stubbornly.

"You may think differently when you've been without her friendship for a while." Miroku told him calmly. "If you are truly secure with you decision on Kikyo, then Kagome should be free to make her own choices."

"We'll see. Goodbye, I guess." Inuyasha said. His eyes were wet, and he turned and left, his ears slumped in defeat.

(-)

**And he's outta here! Sorry Inuyasha, but that's just how it happened. To anyone on my alert list, don't expect other updates for a while. I've got a bad combo-case of distraction and writer's block. On my profile there's a link to what I've been working on instead of fanfiction.**


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